the best sunsets (are the ones i spend with you)
by hollyhobbit101
Summary: Luna's hair is turned to gold in the light of the setting sun, and Ginny wants nothing more than to throw all caution to the wind and kiss her like she's never done before.


**A/N: For the Houses Competition. Please note that this is a Muggle AU**

 **House: Ravenclaw**

 **Category: Short**

 **Prompt: A seaside village that was once an important port**

 **Word count: 1184**

* * *

The summer before Ginny goes to college, she finds herself wandering the quiet streets of an old seaside village alone. It was her mother's idea to come here and have one last family holiday before Ron leaves for university, although Ginny would hardly call it a 'family' holiday. Charlie's off doing some animal conservation project in Romania, Percy refuses to remove that stick from his ass and take time off from his fancy new job, and Fred and George can't afford to close their shop for two weeks. So it's just her, Ron, Bill and his new girlfriend, and their parents. She supposes there are still a lot of them, but everything's so dull without Fred, George, and Charlie. Especially here.

The village is quiet, not catered to tourists like so many other seaside villages. She guesses that's why Molly picked it in the first place. It's an idyllic setting - cobbled streets, quaint artisan shops, and the sea glittering in the distance. Perfect for Bill and Fleur; they love that sappy romantic stuff, like taking long walks on the beach and kissing as the sun sets in the distance. Ginny finds the whole thing disgusting. She gets it, they're in love, but it doesn't mean she wants to see the gooey looks they keep sending each other over dinner.

She doesn't know what Ron does all day. There's no phone signal here and Molly's hidden the WiFi password from them, so Ginny's left to find alternate entertainment for herself. She takes to walking through the village, trying to explore every path and landmark she can find. She becomes good friends with the man running the local newspaper, The Quibbler. From what she can tell, there aren't many that read it, but Xenophilius seems happy enough. He also seems to know every ghost story and legend about the village, and he delights in spending afternoons telling her tales from years ago, when it was an important port, filled with people from all over the country.

"Not anymore, though," he sighs, eyes faraway. "Bigger ports opened, in better towns, and this old place was just forgotten." His voice has a soft and lilting tone, and Ginny feels an old sadness enter her very bones as she imagines what the village must have looked like in days gone by.

As her eyes wander, she spots a girl sitting on the edge of the jetty. Her bare feet dangle in the water, and her silvery blonde hair blows in the wind. She's not wearing a coat, which is concerning given that the weather, whilst sunny, is not so forgiving as it has been. She glances back at Xenophilius, pointing to the girl.

"Who's that?" she asks. Xenophilius glances up, and his face softens as he sees where Ginny is pointing.

"That's my daughter, Luna," he says and, now that he's said it, Ginny can see the resemblance in their looks.

"Isn't she cold?" Ginny asks, concerned, but Xenophilius merely chuckles.

"No, not my Luna. She has her mother's fiery blood, that one." He looks at her appraisingly, then smiles. "She's about your age; I think you two would get along. Go, talk to her."

Ginny looks back to where Luna is sitting, then nods at Xenophilius. She heads out the shop and walks down to the jetty. She treads lightly, something telling her not to make too much noise lest she disturb the tranquility of the scene.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Luna says suddenly, not looking up from her magazine - The Quibbler, Ginny sees, which she's apparently reading upside down for some reason. Ginny stops in her tracks and shifts awkwardly.

"Yes, I suppose it is," she answers uncertainly, not exactly sure what Luna is referring to.

"Won't you sit?" she asks, shifting to make room. Ginny hesitates for a second, then lowers herself to sit cross-legged next to the other girl. Luna looks at her fully then, and Ginny is struck by the bright silver of her eyes. She's never seen a colour quite like it before, and finds herself unable to break her gaze.

"I think this is my favourite place," Luna comments lightly, looking out to sea. "It feels like I'm in a dream."

Ginny follows Luna's gaze, watching the sea shimmer in the afternoon sunlight. She's not sure, but she thinks she understands what Luna means. The jetty is like a relic from the past, somehow detached from the village. There's an atmosphere around it, but Ginny can't quite put a name to it.

"You feel it too?" Luna asks, pulling Ginny abruptly from her reverie. She's staring at her with those sparkling eyes that seem to say _I understand. I know._

"I… I can feel something, but I don't know what it is," Ginny answers slowly.

"That's alright. My dad says that places like these have ghosts that don't leave when everything else does. They protect it and make sure that people don't forget it." Luna's tone is dreamy, but sincere, and Ginny finds herself believing her. But...

"Ghosts?"

"Oh, don't worry," Luna says. "They're quite friendly."

"No, I know, but I mean… Ghosts?" Ginny's sure that her mum would tell her it was all a load of nonsense, but there's something about Luna that makes Ginny want to believe it all.

"Oh, yes. They might not appear for other people, but they must like you."

"Oh." She's not sure what to say to that. It's not every day some ghosts take a fancy to you.

"I like you, too," Luna remarks, looking back to Ginny.

" _Oh,_ " she repeats, at a loss for words. "I- I mean," she stammers, cursing herself for acting so stupid. "Thanks. I like you too. I'm Ginny, by the way, Ginny Weasley.

"That's a pretty name," Luna says, acting as if nothing had happened. "I'm Luna."

"I know. I'm friends with your dad," Ginny explains.

"That's good. We don't have many friends round here, you see. People think we're odd."

"People are stupid," Ginny tells her. "I think you're perfectly fine as you are."

"Oh, I don't mind. But thank you." She breaks off then, and looks out to sea. "Your hair matches the sunset."

Ginny glances to the sky. It's painted with all shades of red and gold, and she supposes one or two of them might match her hair a little. She looks back at Luna, who is still enraptured by the scenery, and she feels all the breath go whooshing out of her at once. Luna's blonde hair has been turned to strands of pure gold, and her eyes glimmer and shine beautifully with wonder. All of a sudden, Ginny understands the appeal to kissing in the light of the setting sun, and is overcome with a sudden urge to lean over and press their lips together.

She doesn't though, merely contents herself with laying her head on Luna's shoulder and winding her arms around her waist. Luna doesn't seem to mind, and the soft sigh she gives brings a smile to Ginny's lips.

 _Yes_ , she thinks. _It really is beautiful._

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you guys liked that! Thanks for reading, and please leave a review if you have a moment. Bye!**


End file.
